Mary Clarke Nind (16 August 1825 – 1 January 1905), known as "Our Little Bishop", was a British philanthropist and worker for social justice.

"I was born six miles from London, England, the child of pious parents, who led their six children to the Savior, converted before five years of age.

"Must I go on to thirty, forty, fifty, sixty years, and still have to fight against my easily besetting sins, and every now and then be conquered?

Mary was tormented over her devotion to the Congregational Church and her desire to reach a "higher life" through sanctification.

On April 4, 1870, the Western branch of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (WFMS) was formed; and Mary was the first to enlist for work.

In 18 years during the 1870s and 1880s, Mary raised $17.5 million for the WFMS on "two cents and a prayer a day" from the women of the Methodist Church.

[3] She traveled the nation, China, Tibet, India, Japan, Africa, and South America bearing messages of salvation and became known worldwide as an evangelist.

"[4] As a result of her missionary work, Mary is considered by some to be one of the top women of influence in the Methodist Church along with Susanna Wesley and Barbara Heck.

At the Minnesota Lay Conference of 1887, which met at Centenary Church, elected Mary as one of the representatives,[4] even though she was not in attendance.

The committee reported to the General Conference and the matter was debated over the course of 5 days before the women were denied their seats.

It would not be until 1904 that women were given laity rights and admitted as delegates to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church[5] (1922 for the M.E.

She conducted the opening services with a Bible reading on the resurrection of Jesus and offered a prayer "of marvelous beauty and devotion, which seemed to our informant to indicate 'a wonderful spirituality and nearness of approach to God.'"